Wednesday, 20 May 2009

I'd made these patches a while ago, a bunch of little granny squares in pastel rainbow colours (I love rainbows), each one in a different order. The idea was to make the patches into a baby blanket for an old friend who I'd heard was going to be a dad, but he was so bad at keeping in touch I abandoned the idea, and the patches.

Then, recently, I found out that the Head of Science at the school I work at is going to be a dad in August. He was my tutor 13 years ago when I started at the same school at age 11, and had taught me A-level Chemistry, and was now a colleague, as well as my adopted mentor during my struggle through the end of school. So, I resurrected the patches, crocheted them together, and this blanket appeared. I sincerely hope that he, his wife, and their daughter, love the blanket and get good use out of it!

When I was made redundant on 2nd January 2009 ("Happy" New Year!) from my job at Battersea Park Children's Zoo I tried to make the best of a bad situation. My then boyfriend had gone to study in Holland for three months, and I figured I'd finish those Kilt Hose I'd promised when I'd made the little anteater socks (see earlier post).

The yarn was pure wool, Dream in Colour, Night Watch, Double-Knit, absolutely gorgeous colours, came together beautifully and was soft and easy to work with, and smelled like sheep (not really)! Bought from Stash Yarns in Putney at a ridiculous price this was a work of art, a labour of love and would have been a gift to treasure forever. The pattern, John Anderson Kilt Hose, can be found here.

Problem is, he broke up with me about three inches away from having the second hose of the pair finished, and when I sobbed every time I tried to finish them my mother confiscated my knitting and so they are still not finished!!!

I didn't have a decent winter hat. I had a lot of scrap yarn which I couldn't use for much since it was itchy. I had Debbie Stoller Books. So, I made myself this hat based loosely on a Pattern in "Stitch 'n Bitch Nation" for a fiery hat, the name of which escapes me right now. Finished in time for my birthday and following holiday to Holland, I arrive in the pub for celebratory drinks with friends, when a guy sits down on the table next to ours wearing a shopmade, posh label hat in identical colours in almost the same order as my hat that I'd imagined up only that week! So fashionable, and I don't even know it!

This blanket is inspired by similar blankets and throws I've seen on TV usually in American programs thrown over the backs of sofas. It's made from individually crocheted Granny Squares (each one a unique combination of six differently coloured yarns) then crocheted together with black yarn and boardered.

My now ex-boyfriend's mum has been in and out of hospital having operations on her knee since I met her in 2007. Due to my obsessive creativity and being now physically unable to go anywhere without some knitting or crochet to do I'd always be making something when I went to visit, and she'd always comment how patient I must be to be able to do something to monotonous! Again, I'd gained another follower of my peculiar yarn addiction. So, as a Christmas present I made a lap blanket to keep her knee warm as she recovered after operations. Needless to say she was very happy to receive something so personal, and she still uses it (I always love to see something I make being put to use!)

I've made two crochet blankets just going around in a big Granny Square. The first I made mostly over the Christmas/New Year of 2006/07 when on holiday to Denmark to take a break from the stresses of finishing my final year at University.

For some reason I had asked my mum to teach me how to crochet after seeing her creating a blanket and supposed it must be therapeutic, which it turned out to be! This was the first thing I made using yarn and I haven't looked back since.

I made this big "blanket" which I gave to my grandmother as a Christmas gift. She was diagnosed with cancer this Christmas (2008/09) and has worn it throughout her radiotherapy and time in hospital. So, my therapy has become hers! EDIT: when Nana died after fighting the cancer for most of 2009 she still had the blanket with her.

The blanket around Monkey was a quick job compared to the massive Nana blanket above. I finished it up after this photo was taken with some tassles, and sent it to a friend who'd just had a baby. She sent me back a photo of her baby wrapped up in the blanket :)

A birthday gift for a very dear friend of mine whose birthday came slightly before Christmas. He wanted a black and white bulky scarf, and so I treated myself to a trip to the haberdashery department at John Lewis on Oxford Street and got some Rowan Chunky wool. The wool is ridiculously sexy, just try knitting with it on some really thick needles and you'll know what I mean! >;) (Quite appropriate that this friend is very, very gay!) I stuck to plain old garter and the scarf practically made itself in a handful of hours.

Another knitted Christmas Present! This time for my mum, who found very similar tea cosies in a shop in Wareham, Dorset, at the same time I bought material to repair my jute bag (see earlier post). She said the pattern reminded her of the old-fashion tea cosies she grew up with, so when I found the pattern via Ravelry I got to work!

My mum wanted "bee" colours, so yellow and brown acrylic were in the recipe, and I have to say this pattern is probably one of the fiddliest things I have ever done!!! The result was a success however, and cosy has been in constant use since Christmas. What's more, it looks spookily similar to the cosy on Mary Poppins' laughter-powered floating tea table in the Disney film!

This was a "Secret Santa" gift for a friend and former colleague at Battersea Park Children's Zoo. She loves stars, and got a new mobile shortly before Christmas. Most of all she loved watching me knit at work (during breaks and quiet periods, although the kids who visited the zoo were fascinated so I knit for their entertainment too!) and kept saying she should start again. So, for the Secret Santa I put together some yarn and needles for a homemade "Scarf in a Bag" kit, and made her this phone cosy!

The star is based on the intarsia pattern in Debbie Stoller's first "Stitch 'n Bitch" book, although the pattern is for a wrist band. Again I was using up essentially scrap yarn from my stash, and I found a lovely button in Smith Bros in Tooting. The whole gift was received with lots of thanks, although once she opened it the "Secret" of the "Santa" was instantly dispersed!!!

Something for my brother for Christmas. His only hobby ( ...That is, the only thing he really does other than watch DVDs and play video games...) is archery. So I decided to make him a hat in stripes the same colour and order as the archery target... So he could stand out in the middle of a field and people could shoot him!

The pattern I got from Marnie MacLean's Website although the pattern resulted in a funny "nipple" at the top which I had to sew down. The hat was well received and now my mum, who also does archery, wants one too! It is made with acrylic double-knit that I had lying around.